Achieving precise tolerances in the assembly of optical components is crucial for the performance of off-axis optical systems. This study focuses on the design and evaluation of assembly methods and mechanisms of an Offner spectrometer with the goal of demonstrating their capability to achieve tolerances within 40 microns. The methodology involves the development of assembly methods and mechanisms specifically tailored for off-axis optical systems. Representative models of optical components and custom adaptors were designed and manufactured to facilitate the assembly process. Procedures were devised for setting up, repositioning, and locking the representative models. The proposed methods and mechanisms were evaluated using measurements from a Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM). The accumulated tolerance in each step of the assembly process was analyzed, ensuring that the overall performance met the desired specifications. The findings validate the effectiveness and reliability of the developed approach, offering valuable insights for the design and implementation of similar systems.
Lightweight, aluminum, freeform prototype mirrors have been designed and fabricated by a Thai led team, with UK support, for intended applications within the Thai Space Consortium (TSC) satellite series. The project motivation was to explore the different design strategies and fabrication steps enabled by both conventional (mill, drill, and lathe) and additive (3D printing) manufacture of the prototype substrates. Single Point Diamond Turning was used to convert the substrates into mirrors and optical metrology was used to evaluate the different mirror surfaces. The prototype criteria originated from the TSC-1 satellite tertiary mirror, which is designed to minimize the effect of Seidel aberrations before the beam enters the hyperspectral imager. To converge upon the prototype designs, Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was used to evaluate the different physical conditions experienced by the prototypes during manufacture and how these influence the optical performance. The selected designs satisfied the mass and surface displacement criteria of the prototype and were adapted to either the conventional or additive manufacturing process. This paper will present the prototype design process, substrate manufacture, optical fabrication, and an interferometric evaluation of the optical surfaces comparing the conventional and additive manufacturing processes.
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